In the past, I have written prediction columns for Super Bowls with results I got playing the most popular sports video game franchise in history. I never have attempted to do one for an entire season, but now seemed like a good time to do so considering that the nearby Houston Texans are considered a Super Bowl favorite.

So every week, I promise to shed blood, sweat and tears playing Madden to share with you my exploits with a Playstation 3 controller.

I lose the coin flip and the Chargers elect to receive. San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers moves the ball with a few short passes in the flats. The drive comes to an end when Houston linebacker Brian Cushing sacks Rivers on third down.

I do my impression of Rivers taunting Jay Cutler from a few years ago. I probably sound more redneck than Rivers actually is.

On the ensuing drive I feed the ball to Arian Foster and it pays off big time. With his fourth carry of the game, Foster busts off a 38-yard touchdown run down the right sideline. Just like that, I have a 7-0 lead and my confidence is high.

overaggressiveness on defense costs me. I send an all-out blitz and Rivers dumps the ball off to running back Ryan Mathews on a short screen pass which ends up a touchdown.

I wonder aloud why Mathews couldn't have been that productive when I had him on my fantasy team a few years ago. Of course, no one answers me because it is a video game. And I am playing by myself.

At the end of the first quarter the score is tied at 7. We trade punts to start the second, but then I put together a 12-play drive ending in a three-yard touchdown run by Foster. Rivers and the Chargers respond by driving all the way down the field and scoring with a minute left in the half.

During that drive, Cushing injures his groin. He is out for the rest of the game and we head to the break tied at 14.

The news gets worse as we start the second half. On the very first offensive play, I throw an errant pass. San Diego's Derek Cox picks it off and returns it for a touchdown. Naturally, I have to blame Matt Schaub, but since I am controlling him I am really blaming myself.

I respond by riding Foster all the way to end zone for his third touchdown of the game and tying the game at 21.

Both teams' offenses get bogged down for the rest of the third quarter and the first half of the fourth as neither team can score. That changes when I find Andre Johnson on a crossing route in the end zone. That score gives me a seven-point lead and I am only a few minutes away from victory.

Of course, Rivers orchestrates a scoring drive and finds Mathews for a three-yard touchdown with 19 seconds left, tying the game and forcing overtime.

The Chargers again win the coin toss and choose to receive. The Texans defense, though, steps up and forces the Chargers to punt the ball away. Just one problem - I'm pinned back at my own seven-yard line.

I am not deterred. Back-to-back passes to tight end Owen Daniels get me out of the shadow of my own end zone. A few more runs by Foster and a short pass to Daniels takes us to the Chargers 38-yard line. I decide to run play action, and the safety bites on the fake and frees up Johnson on a crossing route. I throw the pass and the Texans star pulls in the pass and runs in for game-winning touchdown.

Final score: Texans 34, Chargers 28.

The offense racked up 528 yards of offense, with Foster accounting for 250-plus all-purpose yards and Johnson catching five passes for 109 yards. Despite giving up multiple scores to Rivers, my defense holds the Chargers to less than 300 total yards by shutting down the running game.

Not a bad way to start off my Madden prediction season, especially considering I didn't once throw my controller. Next week, I will try to go 2-0 as the Texans host the Tennessee Titans.